Locomotive stoker



July 4, 1939. C, J, SURDY 2,164,726

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER,

Filed Dec. 31, 1956 65 INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEYS Patented July 4, 1939 2,164,726

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCMOTIVE STOKER Charles J. Surdy, Tuckahoe, N. Y., assignor to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application December 31, 1936, Serial No. 118,517

2 Claims. (C1. 11G-104) This invention relates to stokers of the type On the drawing, I designates a locomotive, II which feed through an opening in an upright the boiler thereof, and I2 the hollow backhead wall of a furnace. More particularly, the invenincluding the outer sheet I3 and the inner sheet tion is directed to certain improvements in the I d. At a suitable distance above the cab deck 5 construction of stokers for installations to exist- I5 and the grates IS of the flrebox I1, the inner ing locomotives in which the hollow backhead of and outer sheets are flanged inwardly toward the rebox is provided with a firing opening of each other to form the conventional firing openccnventional form and size. ing i8. This firing opening I8 is usually elliptical In stokers of the type referred to herein, it in shape, having a major axis of approximately 19 has heretofore been proposed to feed the fuel twenty (2G) inches and a minor axis of approxithrough the existing opening in the firebox backmately sixteen (16) inches. It is to be underhead. However, in these proposed stokers, the stood that in some instances these dimensions fuel projecting and distributing means is usually will vary. disposed at the ring opening in the rebox back- A fuel feeding device for transferring fuel from 5 head, thereby restricting, to a greater or lesser the tender to the locomotive is shown generally extent, the effective size of the ring opening at S and comprises an elevating conveyor I9 on when access in to the interior of the rebox is the locomotive and a conveyor 2U leading fornecessary. Wardly from the tender (not shown). The con- Therefore, it is the principal object of this inveyor 29 delivers fuel to the elevating conveyor I9 20 vention to improve the above conditions by the at a point below the cab deck I5 and is flexibly 20 provision of a Stoker which feeds fuel through connected to said conveyor I9 by a universal the firing opening onto a fuel distributor passing joint 2|. through said backhead subjacent said firing open- The elevating conveyor I 9 comprises a tubular ing. conduit portion 22 and a casing portion 23 which 25 A further object of this invention resides in the surmounts the conduit portion 22 and embraces provision of a tube passing through the hollow the firing opening I 8. Bolts 24 passing through backhead subjacent the firing opening through the flanges such as 25 of the casing 23 secure which tube the fuel distributor extends into the the same to the backhead I2. At its lower end, reboX. the tubular conduit 22 is provided with a flange 30 It is also an object of this invention to provide 2E which is secured to a bracket 21 carried by the novel and eicient means for positioning said backhead I2 and the mudring 28. The casing distributor subjacent the firing opening. 23 includes the upper wall 29 and side walls 39,

A still further object resides in the provision, the outer marginal edge 3| of which together in a Stoker which feeds fuel through the firing with the upper edge 32 of the tubular conduit 22 35 opening, of a pair of independently operable fuel denne an aperture 33 opposite the ring open- 5 deflector vanes which are so formed that upon ing I 8. A iiredoor 34 is supported by the casing being retracted, said vanes conform with the 23 and forms a movable closure for the aperture curvature of the ring opening whereby access 33. Since the firedoor 34 is of the well known to the interior of the firebox may be had in a Franklin Butterfly type, detail description convenient manner. thereof is not deemed to be necessary.

These and other objects, aims and advantages The tubular conduit 22 comprises a bottom of the present invention will become apparent as wall the upper end of which terminates short the following description thereof is read in conof the backheed .l2 and the firing opening I8. A nection with the accompanying drawing, in lip 3e is formed at the upper end of said bottom which, wall 35 upon which lip is seated the rearward end 45 Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the cf a fuel delivery plate 31. Screws 9 may be utiring opening of a locomotive rebox backwall liz-ed to detachably secure said delivery plate 31 showing the Stoker according to the present into the bottoni wall 35 of the tubular conduit 22. vention in position, portions thereof being in sec- From the lip 39, the plate 31 extends upwardly tion and other portions in side elevation; and then curves inward into the lower portion of 50 Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the opening i8, terminating a slight disthe lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, of Fig. l; tance fcrward of the firebox inner sheet I4. It and will be observed from Fig. 3 that the plate 31 Fig. 4 is a View taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 nts against the lower marginal edge of the firing 55 showing the fuel distributor in plan. opening It in order to occupy the least amount of space within the opening. A conveyor screw 38 is rotatably mounted within the tubular conduit 22 and urges the fuel upwardly into the casing 23 and thence forwardly onto the delivery plate 31 Wherefrom the fuel drops onto a distribib tor, as will presently appear. The upper end of the conveyor screw 38 terminates below the upper edge 32 of the tubular conduit 22.

Due to the fact that the conveyor screw 38 delivers more fuel to one side of the delivery plate than the other, and also in order to make provisions for adjusting abnormal iirebox conditions, means are provided for controlling the flow of fuel over the forward edge 39 of the delivery plate 31. This means includes a pair of deflector vanes 4G, 4l, one at each side of the ring opening i8. Each deector 46, 4l is pivotally mounted rearward of the outer sheet i3 upon a respective upright pin 8 carried by the casing 23. In vertical transverse cross section the deflector vanes 40, 4l are arcuate in shape so that upon assuming a retracted position, each vane will lie closely adjacent the corresponding side portion of the firing opening. Manual adjustment of the vanes 50, 4! is provided by the employment of hand screws 42 which are threaded into the anges 25 of the casing. Each hand screw 42 is arranged to contact a lug 45a, 4 la, of a respective vane 4U, 4|. Inward movement of the hand screws 42 causes the vanes 40, 4l to move inwardly across the delivery plate 31. To cause outward movement of the vanes 4S, 1i l, hand screws 42 are moved outwardly, the fuel stream passing across the plate 31 and forcing the vanes outwardly.

The fuel distributor D is novel in construction and in its relation with the fuel feeding means and the locomotive firebox, as will now appear. At a point below the firing openinfr i3 and, preferably, above the cab deck i5, a thimble is passed through openings 5|, 52 in the outer and inner sheets i3, I4, respectively, of the backhead l2. At its ends, the thimble 55 is beaded over the sheets i3, i4 and secured thereto by welding to form a water-tight joint. A distributor jet member 53 is passed through this thimble 55 and it comprises a cylindrical shank 5d and a head portion 55, the front face 55a of which is semicircular in horizontal cross section and disposed forward of the inner sheet I4.

Immediately rearward of the head portion 55, the jet member 53 is provided with a pair of oppositely extending lugs 56 arranged to abut against the inner bead of the thimble 50 upon tightening of the locking collar 51 over the threaded outward portion of the cylindrical shank 54. The jet member is also supported upon the thimble 55 by a plurality of radial ribs 58 which fit within said thimble.

The outward portion of the shank 54 is provided with threaded openings 59 into each of which is screwed. a supply line 50 for admitting pressure iiuid into a corresponding chambered passage 5l of the jet member 53. The passages 5i extend to the semi-circular front face 55a, of the head portion 55 and issue blasts of pressure fluid through horizontally directed jet apertures 52. Below the level of the jet apertures 62 is the fuel receiving upper surface 63 of the distributing table 64. Ribs 65 on the surface B3 cooperate with the jet member in spreading the fuel over the grates i6. In order to provide an adequate support for the table G, the jet member 53 is provided with a ledge 56 upon which rests the rearward portion of the table E4. Rearward of the ledge 55 and at each lateral extremity of the jet member 53 is a curved lug 61 each of which is engaged by a hook 68 formed with the table 64.

In the operation of this device, the screw 33 urges fuel upwardly and forwardly through the conduit 22 and thence over the delivery plate 31 from which the fuel falls over the edge 39 downwardly through space and in loose form onto the table 64. From the table 54, the fuel is swept forwardly and laterally by the blasts of pressure iuid issuing from the jet apertures 52. The delivery of fuel from the edge 39 of the delivery plate 31 may be controlled by proper manipulation of the vanes 40, 4l.

Since the distributor D does not occupy any space within the firing opening, and also because the delivery plate 31 and deflector vanes 40, 4I occupy very little of such space, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that free access to the interior of the firebox l1 through the opening I8 may be gained readily by opening the redoor 34. The Stoker according to this invention may thus be readily installed on many existing locomotives with but a slight and inexpensive alteration of the locomotive rlrebox.

I claim:

l. In a. furnace having a grate and an upright hollow water circulating wall provided with a firing opening disposed above said grate, said ring opening constituting a manhole for cntrance into said furnace, a stoker for feeding fuel to said furnace com rising a conduit communicating with said firing opening, said conduit having a fuel supporting plate extending into said firing opening and closely adjacent the lower marginal edge thereof, means for urging fuel through said conduit and across said fuel supporting plate, said hollow wall being provided with a distributor opening spaced from said nring opening, and a distributor including a jet member and a distributing table, said `iet member oi;- tending into the distributor opening of said hollow wall and being secured to such wall for supporting said distributor table in position beneath said firing opening to receive fuel discharged therefrom7 said jet member being arranged to emit blasts of pressure fluid for projecting the fuel from said distributor table.

2. In a furnace having a grate and an upright hollow water circulating wall provided with a ring opening disposed above said grate, said firing opening constituting a manhole for entrance into said furnace, a stoker for feeding fuel to said furnace comprising a conduit communieating with said firing opening, said conduit having a fuel supporting plate extending into said firing opening and closely adjacent the lower marginal edge thereof, a pair of oppositely disposed defiector vanes pivotally mounted for movement across said fuel supporting plate, each of said deflector vanes being arranged for retraction to a position closely adjacent a respective side of said firing opening, means for urging fuel through said conduit and across said fuel supporting plate, said hollow wall being provided with a distributor opening spaced from said firing opening, and a distributor including a jet member and. a distributing table, said jet member extending into the distributor opening of said hollow wall and being secured to such wall for supporting said distributor table in position beheath said firing opening to receive fuel discharged tnereirom, said jet member being arranged to emit blasts of pressure fluid for projecting the fuel f om said distributor table.

CHARLES J. SURDY. 

